Duration

August 2014 - May 2016

Narrative

High latitude ecosystems, such as Arctic Alaska, show increased effects of climate change. Due largely to costs and logistics associated with this region, long-term air temperature data only exists from a few locations. Lake temperature has only just begun to be more routinely monitored. Studies to obtain more spatially comprehensive data are needed. In terrestrial systems the use of tree-ring data and dendrochronolgy techniques are often used as a reliable proxy to reconstruct temperature regimes, however, most of Arctic Alaska is devoid of trees. These same dendrochronolgy techniques can be applied to growth-increment widths found in Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) otoliths. Lake trout are present across the Arctic landscape and are a long-lived fish, thus may provide a reliable mulitdecadal proxy to reconstruct temperature regimes across the region. This project will focus on the Fish Creek and Ikpikpuk Sand Sea/Teshekpuk Lake watersheds which are experiencing the impacts of climate change as well as large-scale changes in land use involving oil and gas development. This project will provide valuable information with respect to these challenges.